Araucaria cunninghamii

Hoop pine is the skyline tree of the Queensland coast, a slender, columnar crown of tufted branchlets carried on a straight trunk ringed with the horizontal bands that give it its name. Where the bunya spreads, this one climbs, holding a narrow footprint the whole way up.

In the landscape

The narrow crown makes it useful where height is wanted but width is not: tall screens, shelter belts, boundary runs and formal avenues on constrained sites. Plant at 6–8 m centres for a windrow, wider for an avenue. It is wind firm and salt tolerant, which suits it to exposed coastal and ridge-top projects, and a run of them gives a landscape vertical punctuation that few other Australian trees provide. Roots are non-invasive.

Growing notes

Evergreen. Suited to Queensland, coastal New South Wales and warmer Victorian districts; frost hardy once established, and our stock is field-grown at 750 m at Ravensbourne. It prefers sandy, loamy or acidic soils with reasonable drainage, and growth is moderate to fast once settled. In the ground expect roughly 25–35 m tall by 6–10 m wide, considerably taller in rainforest. Tolerant of drought, pollution and coastal exposure once established.

This tree

• Height: 14.0 m
• Canopy width: 4.5–5.0 m
• Caliper: 300–350 mm
• Currently standing: 6 trees

Field-grown ex-ground at Ravensbourne Farm, root-pruned and basket-lifted, delivered and craned Australia-wide. Price on application through the Shortlist.